Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Center Uses Thales Navigation GPS Receivers for Science-Related Mapping Projects.

Business Editors

SANTA CLARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 13, 2003

Thales Navigation 

Thales' Z-Tracking technology quickly locks onto

satellites despite limited visibility from canyon floor

Thales Navigation, a leading provider of GPS solutions for land survey professionals, today said the Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Center (GCMRC), part of the Department of Interior's U.S. Geological Survey, is relying on 16 Thales Navigation Z-Xtreme and Z-Surveyor GPS receivers for mapping, surveying and other research and monitoring activities.

The GCMRC, a Flagstaff, Ariz. group that helps coordinate various scientific research projects within the canyon, is the cornerstone of the Glen Canyon Dam Adaptive Management Program (AMP), a program established in 1995 to measure the effects of Glen Canyon Dam operations on the downstream physical, biological and cultural resources of the Grand Canyon from the dam to the headwaters of Lake Mead.

The program, regulated by various public and commercial interests in the area, including environmental groups, tourism representatives, power companies and agricultural interests that rely on Colorado River water, oversees a number of research projects that require accurate surveying and mapping of the canyon's physical features and resources.

Establishing geodetic control points

"We're using the Thales Navigation receivers to establish geodetic control points that can be used as references for a wide variety of scientific activity," said Keith Kohl, a GCMRC surveyor. These control points are the basis for all surveying, mapping, monitoring and research activities, including stage discharge relationships, hydrographic data collection, and ground control points for ground truth of aerial photogrammetry or LiDAR.

Among the research currently under way are projects designed to determine beach sand volumes and their changes as measured against flood volumes from the dam. Beach sandbar volumes in turn affect, shoreline vegetation, fish habitat, archeological resources, and camping areas.

The group began the project by surveying seven control points on the rim of the canyon, where the GPS receivers can easily track and lock onto satellites. In coordination with National Geodetic Survey, 9 additional control points have been recently added to the canyon rim control network to provide reliable base stations for river corridor survey operations. Control points along the river corridor and canyon floor are more difficult to map due to the high elevation masks created by the canyon walls.

"For those points, we need to occupy multiple rim control and river corridor points simultaneously in order to get the vertical accuracy required, which is in the 3-5 centimeter range, something the Thales Navigation equipment achieves easily," Kohl said. "Despite the narrow tracking window available from the canyon floor, we're finding that the Thales Navigation equipment is doing a good job of tracking and locking onto the satellites that are available. The receivers have consistently performed well in the harsh environment of Grand Canyon."

The GCMRC group selected the Thales Navigation receivers on the basis of their tracking ability despite limited satellite visibility as well as the intuitive, user-friendly characteristics of the post-processing features. Also noted is the effectiveness of the receivers' ground plane antennas, which bring in clear signals while significantly reducing unwanted multipath.

About the Z-Xtreme receiver

The Thales Navigation Z-Xtreme receiver is a rugged, weatherproof dual frequency GPS receiver that provides surveyors with cost-effective, centimeter-accurate positions in a variety of system configurations. It combines state-of-the-art satellite electronics with Thales' patented Z-Tracking to deliver the highest level of GPS signal commercially available. A removable battery and flash-memory card provide enough capacity to last all day for maximum utility. An easy-to-operate interface on the front panel performs important functions, like site information entry, checking survey status, and setting up RTK base stations without the additional cost of handheld controller.

About Thales Navigation

Thales Navigation is one of the world's leading developers and manufacturers of positioning, navigation and guidance equipment with global operations. Thales Navigation markets its Magellan brand GPS solutions in the consumer electronics, recreation, and automotive markets, and its GPS and GNSS professional products in the survey, GIS/Mapping, and OEM markets. Through its joint venture with Hertz, Thales Navigation has developed the Hertz NeverLost(R) vehicle navigation system. Thales Navigation's key innovations include the first U.S. commercial hand-held GPS receiver for positioning and navigation, and the first handheld GPS with industry standard Secure Digital Memory Card capabilities.

Thales Navigation, headquartered in Santa Clara, Calif. with European headquarters in Carquefou, France, is a subsidiary of Thales, a world leader in professional electronics in three key markets: Aerospace, Defense and Information Technology & Services (IT&S). The Group employs 60,000 people in nearly 50 countries worldwide, and generated revenues of over $11 billion in 2002. For more information, visit www.thalesnavigation.com.